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Also regarding the recipe: I quibble with the suggestion not to drain the beans. Canned beans tend to be accompanied by a funky smelling bean sludge, IME; if, l

Also regarding the recipe: I quibble with the suggestion not to drain the beans. Canned beans tend to be accompanied by a funky smelling bean sludge, IME; if, like me, you find that unappealing, rinse the beans in a colander.

frossie 17y ago
"I quibble with the suggestion not to drain the beans" I was a bit taken aback by that too, I always rinse heavily for the reason you mention, but I wasn't sure what the rationale for not rinsing is. I prefer frozen beans anyway - cheaper when you buy in bulk, and saves having to look for the can opener :-)
- RobGR 17y ago
  I don't rinse the beans from the can; the "bean sludge" you refer to is what makes the juice thick and hearty. Also, in beans (as in rice and other plants) a lot of the trace vitamins and etc are in the hull, and if you are on a rice and beans diet you don't want to be avoiding that. The introduction of polished rice into asian countries caused a rise in a disease called beriberi among poor people: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beriberi http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beriberi I also endorse frozen or dried beans. Frozen ones are about as fast to cook as canned.
jackchristopher 17y ago
Washing removes sodium. It's good for health but not taste. But canning soaks them longer, which is better for digestion. I doubt startups want to spend the time to soak manually. There's a tradeoff. Can sludge is nasty. And other bad stuff probably seeps into canned food. The FDA says canning is fine but I doubt it's totally healthful. But who wants to spend the time?
- jodrellblank 17y ago
  Who wants to spend the time preparing quality food when you could be rushing back to work to build a company to earn enough money that you can break out of the ordinary working life and spend time really enjoying your life. I guess what I'm pointing out is that you could skip all the work and enjoy your life right now by spending some time preparing some great food. ;)
  - jackchristopher 17y ago
    You're right. But I actually don't think beans (or white rice) are that healthy — they're fairly good. I left that out because I don't want to get into a "narrative war" on diet again. But I can discuss it later.

frossie 17y ago

"I quibble with the suggestion not to drain the beans" I was a bit taken aback by that too, I always rinse heavily for the reason you mention, but I wasn't sure what the rationale for not rinsing is. I prefer frozen beans anyway - cheaper when you buy in bulk, and saves having to look for the can opener :-)

RobGR 17y ago
I don't rinse the beans from the can; the "bean sludge" you refer to is what makes the juice thick and hearty. Also, in beans (as in rice and other plants) a lot of the trace vitamins and etc are in the hull, and if you are on a rice and beans diet you don't want to be avoiding that. The introduction of polished rice into asian countries caused a rise in a disease called beriberi among poor people: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beriberi http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beriberi I also endorse frozen or dried beans. Frozen ones are about as fast to cook as canned.

jackchristopher 17y ago

Washing removes sodium. It's good for health but not taste. But canning soaks them longer, which is better for digestion. I doubt startups want to spend the time to soak manually. There's a tradeoff. Can sludge is nasty. And other bad stuff probably seeps into canned food. The FDA says canning is fine but I doubt it's totally healthful. But who wants to spend the time?

jodrellblank 17y ago
Who wants to spend the time preparing quality food when you could be rushing back to work to build a company to earn enough money that you can break out of the ordinary working life and spend time really enjoying your life. I guess what I'm pointing out is that you could skip all the work and enjoy your life right now by spending some time preparing some great food. ;)
- jackchristopher 17y ago
  You're right. But I actually don't think beans (or white rice) are that healthy — they're fairly good. I left that out because I don't want to get into a "narrative war" on diet again. But I can discuss it later.